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Volume 14 Issue 5
Sep.  2023
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ZHANG Di, NING Xiaohong. Ethical Arguments for Withdrawing Life-sustaining Medical Intervention[J]. Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, 2023, 14(5): 1116-1122. DOI: 10.12290/xhyxzz.2022-0332
Citation: ZHANG Di, NING Xiaohong. Ethical Arguments for Withdrawing Life-sustaining Medical Intervention[J]. Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, 2023, 14(5): 1116-1122. DOI: 10.12290/xhyxzz.2022-0332
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Ethical Arguments for Withdrawing Life-sustaining Medical Intervention

  • 1.

    School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China

  • 2.

    Center for Bioethics, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China

  • 3.

    Department of Gerontology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China

Funds: 

Education Reform Projects of Chinese Academic of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College 2019zlgc0119

More Information
  • Corresponding author:

    NING Xiaohong, E-mail: ningxh1973@foxmail.com

  • Received Date: June 14, 2022
  • Accepted Date: August 29, 2022
  • Available Online: September 22, 2022
  • Issue Publish Date: September 29, 2023
    Graphical Abstract
    • Abstract
  • Decision to withdraw life-sustaining medical intervention(LSMI) is a common ethical issue in clinical practice. This paper reviews and analyzes the ethical arguments for withdrawing LSMI from three aspects: respect for autonomy, medical futility and patients' best interests. The authors argue that withdrawal of LSMI can be ethically justified when any of the following conditions is met: when patient gives valid consent, LSMI is judged to be medically futile, or it is in the patients' best interests. This paper proposes practical suggestions for the withdrawal of LSMI in clinical practice, and presents several policy suggestions. Finally, the authors identify several challenges of withdrawing LSMI in practice and possible approaches to addressing them.
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    • References (26)
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